Interoperability
The ability of different blockchains to exchange data and value without relying on a central intermediary.
Interoperability is the goal of making separate blockchains work together as one system. Today each chain is largely an island with its own tokens and rules. Connecting them safely is one of the harder problems in the field.
Cosmos (with IBC) and Polkadot were built around this idea, with shared standards for passing messages between chains. Bridges achieve a narrower version by moving specific assets.
True interoperability is more than asset transfer. A contract on one chain can trust and act on another's state, with no custodian in the middle.
Related terms
Describes activity that spans two or more separate blockchains, such as moving assets or messages between them.
BridgeA protocol that moves tokens or data between two separate blockchains that cannot otherwise talk to each other.
ComposabilityThe way DeFi protocols snap together like building blocks, so the output of one can plug straight into another.
Layer 1The base blockchain itself, where transactions settle and security lives, before any add-on networks built on top.